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Thursday, June 18, 2009

We are up and running! Already we are making progress building our social and behavioral skills while striking some new notes with our science and technology based summer program.

Our ecology demonstration today was off the wall. There was hardly a moment to breath from building a simulated landfill, and playing recycle bingo with all kinds of plastics and paper products. I even learned that paper towels are not recycled after use because they have been soiled and are no longer considered to be "neutral". Also the landfills are loaded with paper that could be recycled to produce other paper items and other products. What a waste to put any unsoiled paper in the trash. Our kids got the message loud a clear.

We even had a break through today on a smaller scale when one young fellow saw how difficult it was to keep up his "fashionable saggy pants" and work on the hands on projects we had. With only a mild suggestion (no criticism is appropriate) he came in today and proudly announced that he had borrowed a belt just so he wouldn't be preoccupied with holding up his pants. It only took two days of struggle and just a mild prodding for him to "choose" another option. Why the big deal?

Well I have heard that we see much older young men participating in our CDM Skills Path job training programs where they are instructed on how to present themselves for employment, and some have been reluctant to accept the fact that having to adjust their saggy pants so often tells an employer that they are going to loose hours of time on the job while hoisting their pants.

This shows real social intelligence developing from natural consequences at an earlier age which is part of our behavioral coaching program this summer.